Clothes wringer



Jan. 1, 1924 i 1,479,487

s. T. WHITE CLOTHES WRINGER Filed June 26. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 1, 1924 1,479,487

s. T. WHITE CLOTHES WRINGER Filed June 26, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jmilae wak Patented Jan. 1, 1924.

SAMUEL '1. WHITE, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO WHITE LILY MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, A CORPORATION OF IOWA.

CLOTHES WRINGER.

Application filed June 26, 1922. Serial No. 570,889.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. \VHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Davenport, in the county of Scott, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes WVringers; and I do hereby 'declare'that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersof referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification. y

This invention relates to improvements in clothes wringers and consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved and adjustable mechanism "for imparting a tension to the wringer rolls, which mechanism may be quickly actuated to instantly release said tension when it is so desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiicient device in a power driven, swinging wringer for washing machines, which not only locks the wringer in its different angular positions with respect to the washing machine, but also insures that the power transmitting. reversing clutch thereof, is in neutral before and during theatime said wringer is being swung into any one of its different positions.

These objects of the invention together with the many advantages thereof, will more fully appear as I proceed with my specification' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a clothes wringer embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the wringer on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the wringer as taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is another vertical sectional view through the. wringer as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring now in detail to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings :-10 indicates the frame of my improved clothes wringer. Said frame is preferably cast in a'single, inverted U-shaped piece, and includes, the

upright end members 11 and 12 respectively, and an arched top member 13, all of a channel shape cross section, with the flanges thereof directed inwardl l5 and 16 lDdlCatGS-IQSPBCtlVGF, the top and bottom rolls of the wringer. The top roll has shaft extensions 15 and 15 respec tively, which are arranged within the channel shaped end members 11 and 12 of the wringer frame, and the bottom roll has similar extensions 16 and 16 respectively, which also are arranged in said end members of the wringer frame. The shaft extension 16 of the bottom roll is elongated to extend beyond the end member 11 for a purpose to appear later. To the extreme ends of the shaft extensions 15 and 16 are secured, intermeshing gears 17 and 18 of the usual kind by which the one roll drives the other, there being a compartment 19 provided in the end member 12 of the Wringer frame to enclose the same, (see Figs. 2 and 3).

The wringer rolls are journalled in the end members of the wringer frame as follows :On the inner surface of the front and rear walls of the end member 11 of the wringer frame are provided upright ribs 20, which are connected together at their bottom ends to form a web 21, (see Fig. 2). Said ribs and the adjacent parts of the end member 11, define channels to receive hearing blocks 22, 23. preferably of wood impregnated with a lubricant. The block 22 engages upon the roll shaft extension 15 from above while the roll shaft extension 16" bears on the top end of the block 23 which is held in place in the end member as will appear later.

On the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls of the end member 12, in a plane between the compartment 19 and the ends of the wringer rolls, are pairs of upright, spaced ribs 2424 which provide a guide to receive bearing blocks 25 and 26 for the roll shaft extensions 15 and 16*. These bearing blocks are similar to the bearing blocks 22 and 23 before mentioned. The top block 25 bears upon the shaft extension 15 from above, while the shaft extension 16 bears upon the block 26, which is secured in place by a pin 27 that passes through said block and the front and rear flanges of said end member of the frame.

28 indicates a longitudinal rod, one end V chine;

of which extends through the bottom end of the block 26 while the other end extends through the web 21 of the other side frame member to project beneath the bearing block 23 and secure the same against displacement. Said rod, also acts as the support for a drain or drip board 29 arranged in the frame below the wringer rolls.

In the top member 13 of the frame 10 is located an arched, flat spring bar 30 which engages at its ends upon the top bearing blocks 22 and 25. In the top web of the member 13, midway between its ends, is provided an elongated opening 31 and on both sides of said opening, are upstanding cars 32. Pivoted to said ears by means of pins 33 (see Fig. 4) is a block 34 and threaded through this block in a lane at right angles to the pins 33 is a rod 35, the top end of which is formed to provide a handle, and the bottom end of which carries a rounded head 37. It is apparent that the block 34 and rod 35 provide a lever which is fulcrumed to swing in the plane of the wringer rolls. When said lever is in its upright position, the head 37 will engage the arched spring 30 at its middle and impart a tension thereto which is transmitted through the bearing blocks 2225 to the top roll 15. It is apparent that by screwing or threading the rod 35 through the block 34 in one or the other direction, the operative arm of the lever may be adjusted to impart the desired tension to the spring 30. Should it be desired to instantaneously release the tension on the wringer rolls, it is only necessary to strike the handle 36 to swing the lever in the plane of the frame, when the head 37 will move away from the spring, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. To again impart a tension to the spring and rolls, the lever is swung back into its upright position.

The wringer herein illustrated, is especially intended as a power driven, swinging wringer for a domestic washing ma- To that end, I provide a gear casing 40 which is bolted or otherwise secured to the end frame member 11, Said casing includes ahorizontal bearing sleeve 41 and a vertical bearing sleeve 42 which are made I integral with a semi-cylindrical housing 43.

The bearing sleeve 41 is provided at that end engaging the end frame member 11 with a radial flange 44 which is bolted to laterally extending ears 11*- on the bottom end of the side member 11 of the frame, and in line with satbearing sleeve at the other end of the housing-is a second but smaller bearing sleeve 45. Associated with the housing 43 is a similarly shaped cover 46, to provide the gear casing.

47 indicates an upright shaft journalled in the vertical bearing sleeve 42. To the top end of this shaft, within the gear casing, is fixed a bevel pinion 48, which meshes with garage? oppositely facing bevel pinions 49 and 50 loose on a horizontal shaft 16 journalled in the bearing sleeves 41 and 45. That end of the shaft 16 Within the sleeve 41 is provided with a coupling 16, adapted to receive the flattened end of the shaft extension 16 to operatively connect said shaft and shaft extension together. Feathered on the shaft 16 between the pinions 49 and 50 is a clutch collar. 51 having a peripheral groove 52 at its middle and clutch teeth 53 at both ends. In the opposed faces of the pinion 49 and 50 are provided recesses 49 and 50 respectively, in which the clutch teeth engage when the clutch collar is moved endwise on the shaft extension in either direction.

The clutch collar 51 is shifted endwise by means of a lever 54 which is pivoted between its ends upon a lug 55, (see Fig. 5) made integral with and extending inwardly of the housing 43. The bottom end 54 of said lever extends into the groove 52 of the clutch collar 51 while its top end projects upwardly between coacting ears 56-56 on the housing and cover respectively, to terminate in a handle 57 arranged in a position above the gear casing so as to be conveniently grasped and actuated by the operator.

In the lever 54 is a spring pressed pawl or ball 58 adapted to engage in suitable recesses 59 in the ear 56 to yieldingly lock the lever in a position corresponding to the forward, neutral, and reverse position of the shaft 16. It is thus apparent that when the shaft 47 is rotating, the wringer rolls 15 and 16 may be readily started, stopped or reversed at the will of the operator.

The bottom end of the vertical sleeve 42 is adapted to be inserted into a tubular standard 60 forming a part of a power driven. domestic washing machine. The top end of the standard 60 is provided with a radial flange 61 having a plurality of spaced notches 62. and the sleeve 42 has a coacting radial flange 63 between its ends which rests upon the flange 61 of the standard sotthat the wringer as a whole may be swung about the shaft 47 as an axis into the desired position. usually determined by the arrangement of the notches 62 in the flange 61.

Means are provided to lock the wrin'ger in any of the desired positions and such means are as follows :-On the outer surface of the semi-cylindric housing 43 in the plane of the shaft 47 and just above the sleeve 42 is provided a pair of ears 64 in which is pivoted, between its ends, a lever 65. The bottom end of said lever engages in a recess 63 in the flange 63, (see Fig. 5) and is extended below said flange to bear in any one of the notches 62 of the sleeve flange 61. The top end of the lever 65 is formed to provide a handle, and integral therewith is an arm 66 extending into the interior of the casing, through a hole 67 ad uStabIe in length, and

therein. A spring 68 is interposed between the casing 43 and the handle end of the lever to normally urge the bottom end thereof inwardly so that the lever will lock the casing 40 in the desired position determined by any one of the notches 62.

The parts just above described are so positioned and correlated with respect to the clutch collar 51 that, unless the clutch collar is in neutral position, the arm 66 will so engage the same, that the bottom end of the lever 65,, cannot be freed from the notch 62 in the flange 61 of the standard 60. But when said clutch collar is in its neutral position, and the lever 65 is actuated, the arm 66 will enter the clutch collar groove 52, so that said lever may now be swung far enough to take its bottom end out of the associated locking notches 62--63 'f respectively. The wringer, as a whole, may now be swung into the new desired position and when the handle end of the lever is released the spring 68 will cause the bottom end thereof to again engage in the registering notch 62.

By reason of this, construction, the wringer cannot be swung about the shaft 47 as an axis until the clutch collar 51 is in neutral, so that it is impossible to swing the wringer when the same is being operatively connected to and is being driven from the shaft 47. By this arrangement, an inexperienced operator cannot become injured by releasing the wringer positioning lock with the wringer roll shaft 16 operatively connected to the shaft 47. The bottom end of the shaft 47 is provided with a head 47 which is complemental to a similar head on the wringer drive shaft of the washing machine.

While in describing my invention, I have referred to certain details of mechanical construction and arrangement of parts. I do not wish to be limited thereto, except as may .be pointed out in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a clothes wringer, the combination of a frame having a top member, wringer rolls mounted in said frame, a tension bar for imparting tension to the wringer rolls, a fulcrum block pivoted in fixed parts of 7 said top member, a lever threaded through said block and having an arm adapted to engage said tension bar, said arm being means operable ing an'opening at its at the power arm end of said lever for adjusting the length of the first named arm.

2. In a clothes wringer, the combination 3. n a clothes wringer, the combination ,of a frame having a top member,

wringer a tension bar or imparting tension to the wringer rolls, a fulcrum block pivoted in fixed parts of said top member to swing in the plane of said wringer rolls, a lever comprising a rod threaded through said block, said rod having a handle at one end and an operating head at the other end, said head being rolls mounted in said frame,

adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from said tension bar when said lever is swung lnto elther of its I and release the tension on said bar.

4. In a clothes wringer, the combination of a wringer frame having end members and a top member of channel shape crosssection, wringer rolls mounted in the end members of said frame, a spring bar located in said top member for imparting tension to the wringer rolls, said top member havmiddle with upstandmg ears on each side of .said opening, a lever fulcrumed in said .ears, to swing in the plane of the wringer rolls, said lever comprising a block mounted between said ears and a rod threaded through said block, said rod havin an end adapted for engagement with said spring bar, and the operative length of the arm of said lever which engages said spring bar, being capable of ad'ustment by rotating said rod.

11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I affix my signature in the resence of two witnesses, this 17th day of une, A. D. 1922.

SAMUEL T, WHITE. Witnesses:

R. B. WoLoo'rr, LEO R. KELLER.

said frame, a tension bar positions to apply 7 

